The Grapevine of Wrath
by Anya Maygo
Summary: I'd been tossing around my own idea of a Teen Titan, and this is what I ended up with. Enjoy! P.S., I blame Aelita'sWings for the title.
1. Through the Grapevine

Through the Grapevine

* * *

I ran a comb through my hair and studied my reflection in a still pond. I looked okay…if hair that was the same intense shade as Poison Ivy's could be called "okay."

"My life just hasn't been the same since my village discovered what I could do four months ago."

I remembered that day like it was yesterday:

_A tree was struck by lightning in a storm and, burning, it tipped towards the mayor's house. I stood firmly, hair soaking wet, and raised my hands, willing the tree to catch itself and straighten back into its place. And it did. Breathing hard, I looked around at my neighbors. They were all staring at me, with fear and suspicion. The mayor thanked me for saving his home, and said that since I'd used my powers to protect, I'd be allowed to leave the village unharmed. They didn't trust me. I nodded and left quietly._

"If I'd just stuck to helping my garden grow more plentiful, I'd still be living in the village right now instead of the jungle."

Well…living out here wasn't all bad. It was like having a gigantic garden of my own, that I could nurture and raise to be big and healthy, and I certainly didn't lack for food, shelter or privacy.

Maybe a bit too much privacy, though. I may have spent a lot of time just talking to plants, but at least back in the village I had access to subjects who could talk back.

I slipped back into my hollow tree, dropped underground, and touched a flower bud. It opened into a glowing flower.

There wasn't much down there. Every plant down there grew because of my presence. There was my light-flower, a living bed, a small garden, and a single grapevine along one wall. That was my new phone line, to keep me connected to my village and stay up on the news. You know, like the saying "I heard it through the grapevine"?

I'd decided two months ago that that was what I would be called. I didn't belong to my old name anymore.

Now, I'm Grapevine.

Speaking of which…

I tapped the vine, and a couple of flowers opened. Sitting next to it, I listened to all that was happening in my jungle, and what was being talked about in the village.

I hissed softly to myself. "That creepy snake-man thinks he owns this place! And he thinks nobody can stop him! The only reason I haven't yet is because he hasn't exactly damaged the plants, so he hasn't actually gotten me mad."

The village talk was…worrisome.

The mayor spoke first. "_Yes. We, um, banished her some time ago. We had been a little…overreactive about her…abilities. But now, we believe she's carrying out some form of revenge against us. If one of us goes into the jungle, that person disappears._"

Then an unfamiliar, strong voice answered with a question. "_Wild animals?_"

"_We all know how to handle wild animals. This is different. It's like the very plants are rising against us._"

Exaggerator. Just because nobody who's come into the jungle has come back out, doesn't mean it's the plants' fault. I know exactly what's happening. Nobody in the village knows how to handle a snake-man.

Another unfamiliar voice spoke, female this time. "_So what is it you wish us to do?_"

"_Find her. Find her and get rid of her, however you can._"

Yet another unfamiliar voice piped up, another male who sounded… cocky. "_Don't worry, we'll make the jungle safe for everybody!_"

Who _are_ these people? Well…I suppose I'll find out when they enter the jungle.

I lay out on the moss that made my carpet and closed my eyes, listening to and feeling the outside world through the plants.

It wasn't long before I felt five pairs of feet crossing through the grass: three pairs of thick-soled shoes, one pair of heavy metal shoes, and one pair of soft slippers. Ferns and branches brushing against them all told me more about them. One boy had queer items hanging from a belt around his waist and a cape on his back, Soft-Slippers had a cape and hood, and one was – whoa! Metal-Shoes was almost _completely_ made of metal!

I tuned in to what sounds the plants could take in, which is much more than one would think.

* * *

"_Uh, Rob? Are you sure going somewhere where plants are against people is a good idea?_" the cocky voice, now much more worried, asked. Suddenly, the plants were telling me that where one thick-soled boy had been, there was instead a deer! What in the world?

"_We don't have any other leads, Beast Boy,_" the strong voice answered. "_We might as well look around and see what's going on._"

"_Uh…_" a louder voice asked, "_what do we do if we find this girl?_"

Silence met that. Finally, a low female voice spoke up: the one person who hadn't actually said anything until now. "_Please tell me we aren't going into this without some sort of plan?_"

"Rob" answered. "_It's not that we don't have a plan, Raven, as that we've got a couple of options to choose from, depending on how we find her._"

Raven took that and fell silent again.

I could guess what those plans were. If I tried to hurt them, they'd fight. If I chose to be peaceful, they'd be nice to me.

Well, let's settle the problem. I turned my attention away from seeing them indirectly...

To herding them.

* * *

Robin

The first we noticed something was wrong was that suddenly, we couldn't go forward anymore. The ferns were just too thick, and they hadn't been a minute ago.

Beast Boy turned around and freaked. Then he turned back. "We can't leave! We just walked into her sinister plan to destroy us and use us for fertilizer!"

Raven hit him.

Though it was true we couldn't go forward, or back, or – I looked up – fly out of the jungle.

"What do we do?" Starfire asked, sounding worried.

I took a deep breath. "Raven?"

She held her hand out just inches away from a flower. It moved a little, turning more towards the palm of her hand.

"There is no malice in the action of the plants. They're simply guiding us." And she started walking down a path that hadn't been overgrown.

There wasn't really anything else to do, so we followed her.

The path led us all the way to a large tree, probably the largest tree in the jungle. In front of that tree, there were five giant red flowers, with short enough stems – if there even were stems – that one of us could just walk onto the flower easily, if we wanted to.

"So…" Cyborg asked, "now what?"

Raven 'consulted' with one of the large flowers. Then she looked at us. "We go visit her. She's underground right now."

"Oh, that's great!" Beast Boy sounded frustrated. "And how do we get down there?"

Raven stepped up onto the flower and straight to the center.

The flower closed up! And then it vanished into the ground!

"Raven!" Starfire panicked.

"It's okay," Cyborg reassured her, "I'm still getting her life readings. She's fine."

I stared for a long time at the remaining flowers. Then I sighed. "Titans, let's go." And, without looking to see if they were following my example, I stepped up onto the center of another flower.

For some reason, I wasn't alarmed when the petals folded up around me. I did almost panic when I dropped, though.

My landing could have been better, but Beast Boy was worse and Cyborg was louder. Starfire didn't land at all – she started hovering.

The room was a little small for all of us, but we managed to stay calm and look around. Finally, I turned my attention on our hostess.

She had pale skin, bright red hair, and deep purple eyes. Her clothes – a tank top, skirt and shoes – were made from large leaves, and I laid a bet with myself that her powers were keeping them green and strong. I also kind of compared her in my mind to Poison Ivy, back when I was living with Batman. Bad memory.

"Hello, Titans." Her voice was quiet. "I understand you were looking for me."

"Yes," Starfire answered, trying to sound confident. "We were told that you are capturing members of your former village. You must release them at once."

She shook her head. "I'm not responsible for that. I am aware of it, and I am aware of who's doing it, but I'm not responsible." Then she smiled. "But where are my manners? I am Grapevine."

I smiled back, trying to remember that just because she resembled one of Batman's usual antagonists didn't mean she was evil, and held out my hand. "I'm Robin."

She shook my hand – her action almost as shy as her voice seemed to be. Could she tell my smile was slightly forced? "It's nice to meet you." Then she looked past me. "Beast Boy?"

He jumped. "Huh?"

"Please drop the nervousness; I really don't hurt humans, no matter what they look like."

Cyborg asked, "How did you know his name?"

She grinned, looking almost impish. "Oh…I heard it through the grapevine. I heard Raven's name, too."

I outright laughed, and so did Cyborg. We'd heard that song! "Is that where you got your name?"

Still grinning, Grapevine nodded.

Starfire flew down and touched Cyborg's shoulder. "This is Cyborg, and I am called Starfire. But if you are not responsible for the disappearances, who is?"

Grapevine's smile vanished. "A snake-man. I haven't seen him with my own eyes, but I'm connected with the jungle's entire flora, and they've felt his movements for the past two months. I don't know how to use my powers to fight, or I'd have driven him off when he first came. I don't know why he's taking prisoners, he hasn't said. I've mainly assumed the worst and tried to warn the villagers off by growing the ferns too thick for them to come in. They come anyway, probably because they feel like they have to, but…"

"Is that why the mayor said it was like the plants were against them?"

"Possibly."

A lot was starting to make sense. Grapevine wasn't a fighter, so she tried to protect her village the only way she knew how. They took it as an attack on their survival, though, and called us in to get rid of her. But it wasn't Grapevine we needed to get rid of…

"Where is he?"

Her head snapped up. "The snake-man? He sleeps at this time, but he can't hide from me. He's in what used to be the deer-thicket until he came. Why?"

"We need to deal with the true problem. Can you take us there?"

She hesitated. "Not the same way I brought you here. He'd notice that. It'd have to be on foot."

Cyborg answered that. "We're used to walking. Just clear the way!"

She nodded, walked over to a wall, and touched a thick root. It cracked, and opened into a shaft that had light coming in. "This is my usual way out. Cyborg, you'd better go first, so that I can help you along; it's kind of narrow."

He shrugged and pushed in.

Grapevine set her hands against the root and closed her eyes. I recognized her expression. It was a lot like Raven's when she was really focused. After about a minute, the crack opened again and she looked at us. "The way's clear!"

Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy all flew out. Grapevine and I looked at each other for a minute. Then she said, "You go on. I need to close it from inside the root."

Nodding, I slipped in and pushed up to the surface. Cyborg helped me out.

Grapevine slipped out easily and closed the tree again. "The thicket's this way." And she started walking.

* * *

Grapevine

I was pretty nervous. I mean, I'd never actually seen this snake before, but I knew he was big…_really_ big.

"Hey, Viney," Beast Boy asked, "What kind of snake are we talking about – poisonous or constrictor?"

"Constrictor. He's, oh, about eighty feet long. Maybe – I'm not good at measuring lengths."

That earned a stare, though they seemed to shrug it off kind of easily. Why?

When we got to the deer thicket, I stopped. "I can't go in there."

Robin cocked an eyebrow at me. "Why not?"

"I just…can't." I was scared. That was it, pure and simple.

He set a hand on my shoulder. "It's okay. Just wait out here. We'll be back out soon."

I lifted one hand and pointed at the thicket. Two of the trees curved their trunks apart and the branches lifted. "I'll keep an eye on you through the thicket." What I'd do if they needed my help, I didn't know. "Just to warn you, there's not that much room in there with him inside."

"Thanks for the tip," Cyborg answered dryly, and they all slipped in.

* * *

Cyborg

We went slowly in, and it didn't take long to see the thing. It was greenish-brown and curled up so much that we couldn't see the part that was humanoid.

Then Beast Boy stepped on a twig.

The whole thing tensed, and we held perfectly still, waiting. Then it lifted up out of its coils. Man, was that thing ugly!

"Who disssturbsss Pythaloid?"

Robin delivered a great line, and we leaped in to teach him a lesson about threatening villages.

The small amount of space left in the clearing was probably the main reason we were getting our butts handed to us. Besides, neither my Sonic Cannon nor Starfire's star-bolts were having any effect on his scales!

We'd barely been fighting for two minutes before Robin ended up in that guy's coils! By the smirk on that creep's face, he knew he had us cold.

Then the thicket started moving. Not with the breeze, either.

The first thing to happen was that we were caught by branches and moved backward, away from Pythaloid and Robin! Though I thought I heard a faint whisper through the branches: "Sorry about this, but in order to do what I need to, I need you out of the thicket."

We were set down outside the thicket, and then all we needed to do was watch the show.

* * *

Grapevine

I stood outside the thicket, with my hands lifted high. Even though my eyes were closed, I knew exactly what was happening.

_Pythaloid tightened his coils around Robin, hissing something about how his team had abandoned him. Right. The trees reached forward, extending longer-than-normal branches and extremely strong vines to catch hold of Pythaloid's arms, neck and body. He was slowly straightened out, with more vines latching roots onto the edges of his scales to keep his coils from moving with him without being uncurled. One more vine reached down from above their heads and coiled around the only real thing on Robin that was free: his neck. I was going to adjust it as soon as Robin was loose enough to grab otherwise. Carefully lifting and pulling, Pythaloid was fully extended, and at least partially out of the thicket, and Robin was suspended inside the thicket – oh! He grabbed hold of the vine to ease the load off his neck, good boy Robin!_

_Then my vines tying Pythaloid up started producing a great deal of sticky sap, and wrapping around him tightly, the leaves also sticking to the sap, making a very solid sort of cocoon that he wouldn't be able to get out of. When he was fully tied up until all that could be seen was his head, the trees took hold of his cocoon and, pulling him fully out of the thicket, started moving him towards the village. Now that the trap door was uncovered, below Robin the captured villagers started coming out, looking scared, but not overly so. Robin called down to them that it was safe and the threat was gone. I moved Robin's vine out of the thicket and over to us._

When I opened my eyes, I felt very drained. "Pythaloid's probably resting just outside the jungle now."

The other titans were staring at me as I lowered Robin back down to the ground and unwound the vine from his neck. The villagers were staring at me, too, though not with the suspicion of before.

"Boy," Beast Boy finally said, "Nobody underestimate the power of veggies, huh?"

I rolled my eyes. I was too tired to appreciate his attempt at humor.

"Ah, let's just get back to the village." Thank you, Raven.

* * *

The look on the mayor's face when he saw the giant cocooned snake was priceless. "And Sarah did all this? We may have to rethink our decision of casting her out and invite her back."

"My name," I snapped, feeling very tired, "is Grapevine, and I much prefer living in the jungle now, thank you."

Seeing the hurt look on his face, I relented. "I'll still guard the village, though. I'll just do it a lot better from the jungle."

Then Robin walked over to me. "Um, could we talk privately for a second?"

I shrugged and snapped my fingers. A small tree grew up swiftly around Robin and me and sealed off. "They can't hear us in here, and I'll just put it back afterwards. What do you want to say?"

"Well…" He seemed embarrassed. "I just wanted to apologize."

_Huh?_ "For what?"

"When I first saw you, I thought you would be just like a woman I…met once named Poison Ivy. She was…"

"I've heard of Poison Ivy," I interrupted.

He looked even more embarrassed now. "Yeah... And even when you started proving you were different, I was having trouble shaking that off."

"Hence the forced smile?"

His smile was wry. "You noticed that."

That didn't require an answer. At least, not on that subject. "Let me guess: you're fine with me now, as long as I don't have a poisonous kiss?"

He looked very, very embarrassed now, along with sheepish. "Yeah, I guess that's what I'm saying."

I hesitated. "I actually don't know if I have a poisonous kiss or not. I've never kissed anyone."

We stood there inside the tree for an awkward moment of silence. Then he held his arms out until his hands touched the sides of our little room. "I'm spoken for."

All I could do was laugh.

"Anyway," and he waved at the tree, "and you can put the tree away, what I want to say next is…"

I snapped my fingers again, and the tree cracked open and receded back into the ground.

He straightened his shoulders, going remarkably formal, and said, "Thank you for your assistance, Grapevine, and for saving my life."

_Was that what changed his mind about me?_

"I'd like to make you an honorary member of the Teen Titans." And he held out a round, flat metal gadget.

_What? Did he just say what I thought he said?_

I took the thing and studied it.

Cyborg spoke up. "That's a communicator." Like I wouldn't know what it was.

Okay, I didn't know what it was until he said it.

"What does it mean to be an honorary member?" I had to know that.

"It mostly just means, stay in touch. When there's trouble…"

This sounded familiar. It wasn't like I'd never heard of the Teen Titans. "I'll call. Or you'll call me if you need me."

He nodded.

I thought about that. Then I asked, my voice going wistful, "Could I be called for parties, too? It gets a bit lonely in a garden all alone."

Bonus! I got them to laugh!

Well, most of them; somehow, I doubted I'd ever get Raven to laugh, and I'm not sure Starfire got the joke.

"Of course you can be called for celebrations!"

In fact, I know she didn't. I smirked. "Thanks."


	2. Titans Together!

Titans Together!

**A/N: Reference to an episode, and this is going to be the only reference-chapter.**

* * *

Grapevine

Several months passed since the last time I saw a Titan in person. A few other villains had come to bother my village sort of off and on in that time, but nothing I couldn't handle. Sometimes, Robin would call and give me updates on what was going on.

Lately, the news was getting a little…bad. Some gang called the Brotherhood of Evil was threatening our survival, and probably also the survival of the world. "We'll need all the help we can get. I've been staying in touch with the other Titans, as well, but I think one of the communicators has gone missing. I know Wildebeest has been captured, so we all need to be careful."

I nodded. "So you're going to tell me to stay connected to the other Titans – all of them, including the other honoraries – until another call goes out?"

"Something like that, yeah."

"Okay."

He signed out quickly. I guess he still compares me to Poison Ivy sometimes. Oh, well; such is the curse of having plant powers and bold red hair. The weird thing is, I don't have a temper – or if I do, it's got a long fuse that nobody's burned out yet.

* * *

Then one day, right after we all got in a large tie-in with the communicators, a fire-creature attacked my jungle. I wasn't completely worried about the jungle, since it had rained last night, but I knew why it was here: me!

I forced a couple large water-lily leaves to grow right out of my back and took off flying, dodging fireballs. The leaf choice was deliberate: with its waxy covering, I'd be a lot safer than with any other leaf. I still wished I had an actual uniform, as opposed to my current living outfit, but…

One fireball cut a little too close, and I felt the leaves forming the back of my shirt and skirt wither and dry. Not outright fall off, which would have ultimately wrecked my clothes, but they were very uncomfortable.

Of course, that was merely inconvenient, and not alarming like the burning-hair smell coming from behind me!

I did several wild loops and divebombed my water-hole. _That_ wrecked my clothes, if the fire didn't, and as I grabbed my communicator and sank - I never learned to swim - I considered switching my systems over to a seaweed-method of breathing and seeing if the thing didn't give up.

I hadn't fully finished that thought before a fireball blasted into the water. It didn't reach me before it went out, but the level was much lower now.

_Okay, _now_ I'm mad! I'm _not_ letting that thing destroy my home!_

I launched out of the water on my lily-leaf wings, gripping my communicator and completely bare, and uprooted about five trees from the ground. Then I swung them around, with their loads of dirt still on their roots, and brought them all down at once on top of the fire monster!

A few flames flickered from below the trees, and then went out.

I settled back down to the ground with a sigh, making the leaves on my back fold around me in an impromptu robe. Then the communicator in my hand sparked and exploded! I dropped it in surprise, and then thought about what that could mean. All I could think of was that something happened to Robin.

With that as my only conclusion, I fell onto the withered moss below me, willed it back to life, and searched through the ground and roots for some sign of my friend-Titans – the only Titans I could recognize the footsteps of.

There! Beast Boy's shoes! They always had paw print indentations on the soles. _He's where there are plants! Whew – that means I can get there. It's kind of far away, though…_

I grew a large flower and stepped in. "Let's hope I can reach that far," I said to myself as the petals folded around me.

I could. Once I got out of the flower, I caught some leaves from some ferns and trees and manipulated them into pants and a top. Shoes were too complicated for speed, and I didn't know how Beast Boy was going to leave the secret base. So I went without.

* * *

Beast Boy

I really didn't know what to do, at least not specifics. I didn't know these guys very well.

Then someone else came in, looking at black-scorched hairtips. "What's up, people?"

"Grapevine! You survived?"

"Funny you assumed I was even attacked," she joked, grinning at me.

Pantha spread her hands. "You're here."

We laid a trap for Cinderblock, and it actually worked! Jericho possessed the dude, and we started playing hostage to get into the secret lair.

Well, we got in!

* * *

Grapevine

I had no idea what Mas was saying, but apparently he could sense his brother. Until a certain point, that is.

Some guys ran past us while we were playing hostage, and then we ambushed them!

During that fight, I discovered I could grow fruit bombs that actually packed a pretty good punch and made a great comedy show.

I remember one thing the Herald said to me while we were fighting. "Is there anything you can't take on?"

I answered, quite seriously, "Ice. In this environment, fire too."

"Oh."

* * *

We ran into a big room where practically all our enemies were, and I ended up in shock – all the Titans were frozen and on shelves like collectable figurines! I only recognized one, two by association: Menos, for being Mas' twin, and Robin!

We fought our hardest, but we just couldn't take them. I had my arms pinned to my sides by either a large robot or a guy in a suit, I couldn't tell which.

What made me feel a lot better was when suddenly Cyborg came up through the floor with a couple friends! "Lesson one: never throw me down a hole unless you make sure I stay there!"

Then Starfire came through the roof with a couple more friends! "The lesson two: we _never_ give up!"

Raven came up out of a black portal with some kids and a gigantic teddy bear! "Lesson three: your secret lair isn't very secret."

That was _so_ Raven.

Now for the guy holding onto me. Since my outfit was wrecked again _anyway_…I shot long thorns out of my arms and back, piercing his hands.

I don't really remember much about the fight after that. I remember that our numbers seemed to double after a bit. Then I made a mental tally of the number of men in the room versus the number of women. I definitely needed a new outfit fast, but growing large-enough-leaves took time I didn't have. So, I threw a seed at Raven. It stuck on her cape, I made it grow into a small flower, grew another flower on my hand, and said into it, "Raven, could I borrow your cape? I don't exactly have time to grow a new dress."

She heard it, anyway. She glanced at the flower, looked down at me, and…_swooped_ is the only word for it…down to me, pulling off her cape. "Here. I'll want it back later."

"Thanks." I pulled the cape on over my shoulders and launched a tomato-bomb at another bad guy, hitting him in the face.

Finally, the fight was over and I could stop running around. Robin threw something – the brain guy! – up to Beast Boy, who froze it and cracked, "Brain freeze!"

Everybody groaned. Including me. That one was bad – _extremely_ bad.

* * *

We were all invited back to the tower. I was fascinated to study the whole motley crew of Titans, though I remembered few to no names. If I heard a name, I could probably match it to the person, but mostly, no.

After totally freaking out a villain they called Dr Light, Raven helped me with a more durable, long-lasting uniform. I guess she wanted her cape back, even though she had several identical capes.

Not that I minded: it was a skin-tight green-and-purple suit, with black actual shoes and a belt for my new communicator!

I came out into the main room where all the other Titans were and called, "Okay, Titans, be honest: what do you think?"

I got, let's see…

Five "You look very nice" from three male voices, probably Red Star, Thunder and Lightning, and Starfire, along with the Herald,

Two "Ooh! Me encanta!" Mas and Menos, of course,

Three "I like it! Great style!" from, um…three girls, I think their names were Bumblebee, Argent, and Jynx,

Some positive-sounding chatter from Krank,

An equally-positive grunt from Wildebeest,

A "You look dangerous" from Pantha,

And a chorus of whistles from just about every other guy. Sheesh.

I glanced around for Jericho, who I knew couldn't talk.

There he was. He was smiling.

So was Robin, the only other guy who hadn't whistled. And somehow, I read words in that smile: _"You don't look like Poison Ivy at all anymore."_

_Thanks, Robin._

Kid Flash dashed all around me twice before stopping in front of me and complimenting me. I only remember part of what he said: "If I wasn't spoken for, I'd ask you out!"

I pushed the hair out of my face where it had blown and laughed. That one part I caught, though, did hurt a little. _How many guys here in this tower were taken?_


	3. Magic in a Kiss

Magic in a Kiss

* * *

Grapevine

The other Titans had dispersed back to their points-of-origin, including me. I used the next month to repair my home and finish my room's spring cleaning. The grapevine and moss had wilted and my dark-flower had overgrown its borders again in the month I stayed out of my room. Someday I ought to tell Raven about this flower that was all my own creation, which only grew if there was absolutely no light and only blossomed when touched.

Robin had passed around new communicators before we'd all left. I think it was so that I could stay connected to the other Titans and not get lonely. Thanks, Robin. Mine was currently latched into my grapevine by small roots.

* * *

I was called for a few parties, though I remember getting uneasy looks from a number of guys. They probably were also comparing me to Poison Ivy, and wondering just how safe I was to have as a girlfriend.

* * *

Then one day, while I was lying on the moss in my home…I felt something moving in the jungle; something big…and remarkably similar to Pythaloid.

_Huh? Didn't we make it plain that Pythaloid was to stay a prisoner in his cocoon?_

I sat up and lifted my hand. The grapevine extended over and dropped my communicator into my hand, and I tapped some keys. "Come in, um…whoever's listening."

The screen flickered a little, and then cleared. It was Krank. He chattered a hello and a question.

"Hey. Where's Aqualad?"

He looked over his shoulder, looked back, and shrugged.

"Well, um…I could use some help over here. I think a criminal's escaped from the jail and is wreaking havoc in my jungle again." Literal havoc, actually; I was feeling my connection to the forest weakening a little as plants above were dying.

He nodded and chattered something else. I hoped that was "I'm going to go get Aqualad, we'll be right there."

"Thanks. Grapevine out."

I lay down on the moss carpet again and waited while watching Pythaloid. After a while, I sensed a couple pairs of feet approaching the edge of the jungle and dropped myself into a flower.

I think I startled them when I made it grow right in front of them, but Aqualad recovered quickly when I stepped out. "Okay, what's the problem?"

"I think Pythaloid got free. I trapped him last time, but he didn't know what I was capable of."

"Right. So…is there any water I can work with?"

I cocked my head with a smile. "This is a jungle. Sure, there's at least three water holes."

"Great! Let's go."

We ran through the jungle until we reached somewhere just near the disturbance.

It wasn't Pythaloid. Wrong size, wrong color, and wrong markings. This was smaller by about ten feet, red and yellow, and patterned with black diamonds all down its length.

Oh – and it was a girl.

"Wha?"

"Is something wrong, Grapevine?"

"That's not Pythaloid. Little sister, maybe, but not Pythaloid."

"It's a good thing I came along, then."

"Careful." I stepped out and launched a tomato-bomb. It exploded off her back and she turned around. She was beautiful, I suppose, in a dangerous way. "What do you think you're doing here?"

"Oh, _there _you are! I am Cobraloid, and Pythaloid'ss my mate! I'm here for revenge!"

_Mate? You're kidding, right?_

That's my excuse – I was in shock. I stood there too long, and she struck!

Something broadsided me, I hit the ground, and I heard Aqualad's yell of pain! "Aqualad!"

I did the only thing I could think to do: I grew a couple of large flowers around myself and Aqualad – Krank was next to Aqualad – and dropped us into my room.

As soon as we were safe, I ran over to Aqualad. "What did she do to you?"

He was gasping a little, gripping my hands. Then I saw what she did to him: puncture wounds in his shoulder.

"Oh, good glory." I quickly set some moss against the wounds, grew a plant with bright pink berries and gave a handful to him. "These should slow the effects of the poison. I've got to stop her before she destroys the village."

He nodded and lay back.

"I've got my communicator, Krank," I told the little guy. "If his condition worsens, call me."

He nodded at my back as I grew my way to the village.

* * *

Even using the fastest possible trip, I was still too slow. Cobraloid was already there, buildings were smashed, and everyone there was gone. Poison might work slowly, but it doesn't help when your neck's also getting broken.

I don't clearly remember what happened after that. I know Cobraloid tried to bite me several times and failed. I know I ended up growing thousands of vines to tie her up. She ended up in the same sort of cocoon as her mate. Once she was tied, I asked her, "What's the antidote to your poison?"

She grinned up at me. "Antidote? There iss none. Your boyfriend will die in fifteen minutesss."

I stared at her for a second. Then I said the only thing I could think to say. "He's not my boyfriend."

* * *

I basically just left her there and buried every body within the village wreckage. Everyone was dead – _everyone._

No; not everyone. I didn't know how well Aqualad was doing –

My communicator beeped.

I snapped my fingers and Flora Expressed myself back to my room.

Krank was staring at Aqualad in worry. The boy's eyes were closed, his breathing was shallower than before I'd left, and his skin had gone extremely pale.

"Did the berries help?"

Krank shook his head, chattering something I figured translated to "Not really."

I sighed. "Well…there's nothing for it, then. Cobraloid said there wasn't any antidote, and if anyone knows, it'd be her." I walked over and sat down next to him. "I guess all either of us can do is say goodbye."

_Are you sure you should do this, Grapevine? You still don't know if your kiss is poisonous._

_He's going to die anyway._

I bent over and gently touched my lips to his, and then pulled back.

Aqualad suddenly took a long, shuddering breath and opened his eyes wide!

I stared at him as the color started coming back to his skin with a vengeance. "What just happened?"

He stared back at me and replied, sounding more than a little shocked, "I was going to ask _you_ that!"

After staring at each other for a minute, I said, "Let's go find the Teen Titans and ask them."

* * *

At the Titans Tower, Cyborg ran an analysis on Aqualad. "There are definite old signs of circulatory poisons in his system, but they're dying rapidly!"

Robin just sat there and listened as I recapped the whole thing. I sort of left out the part where I'd kissed Aqualad, mostly because I hadn't decided if I was ready to say that.

"So Pythaloid had a mate. And where is she now?"

"Probably back in the wreckage of the village where I'd left her."

"And Aqualad just recovered from her poison?"

I took a breath, but Krank beat me to it. He chattered something out that I really didn't understand.

Aqualad translated. "He said that I didn't really start recovering until after Grapevine kissed me." Then he gave me a strange look. "Is that what happened? I wondered."

I blushed.

"Apparently," Cyborg interrupted anything else, "your kiss can heal, making you the complete opposite of Poison Ivy."

All I could do was grin. "Wow. I guess 'kiss of life' is a reality with me."

Aqualad was still giving me this weird look that I couldn't translate. Was it something about that kiss? I'd thought I was signing his death warrant at the time!

So _now _what do I do?


	4. Captured!

Captured!

* * *

Grapevine

I stayed in a room in the Titans Tower for a whole week, making plants grow wild in pots all around the room and all up the walls. After all, I didn't have a village to protect anymore, so there was no point in my going back. I loved what the Titans did with this room, though: there was no roof anymore, and only two walls. Lots of sun came in, and if it rained, my garden wouldn't need to be watered that day. I didn't mind getting wet, though I figured they'd rigged up something for when it snowed or rained really hard.

Why was I going crazy with the container garden? Well…it was all I could think to do. I mean, what was I supposed to do, tell Aqualad I'd kissed him with the thought of speeding him along to the next life or ask him to be my boyfriend?

* * *

Aqualad

I spent a whole month after the cobra-woman incident patrolling the oceans. No criminals escaped my notice. What else was I supposed to do? I'd almost died, and then got saved by one kiss from the most beautiful girl who, despite her new uniform, still looks like Poison Ivy even if you know her! Except she wasn't Poison Ivy; she was amazingly kind, and…

_That does it,_ I thought after another week had passed, _I'm going to ask her to be my girlfriend._

* * *

Starfire

"Grapevine? Are you present?" I knocked on her door. There was no answer, so I carefully opened the door and looked in.

* * *

Robin

"Robin! Come quickly, there is trouble!"

I leaped up at Starfire's call, as did all the other Titans, and we ran to find her.

She was in Grapevine's room (can you really call it a "room," though, if it only had two walls and a floor?), and it was trashed. Pots were overturned, plants were torn off the walls, flowers were shredded, and Grapevine was nowhere to be seen.

"Wow," Beast Boy joked, "looks like someone didn't like her décor."

I asked in shock, "What happened here?"

Raven found and picked up the only whole flowerpot left in the room: Grapevine's darkflower, which had only survived because it had been set behind her heavy toolbox and wasn't blooming. "Maybe her garden can tell us." She held her hand over the closed flower and made a black force field around the little thing.

The flower opened, and words appeared in light above it. "Titans, if you find this message, then I've probably not managed to get back and erase it. A great flying creature," an outline of said creature appeared, basically a snake with wings, "has attacked me, and I couldn't get away. I recognize the marks on its body, though. Thanks to some research from Cyborg's computers, I learned that Pythaloid and Cobraloid had a creator named The SerpentLord, and I suspect he knew about me from the moment I defeated Pythaloid. The flying creature is his, and has taken me to his headquarters. I got hold of my communicator, follow its signal. I trust you all."

* * *

Raven

Well, that's always nice to hear.

After I took her darkflower to my room to protect it, we went down to Cyborg's computer system and found where her communicator tracked to. We would need our T-Sub to get there: it was on an island.

We barely got to it when we got a visit from Aqualad. "Hey, where's Grapevine? I need to talk to her."

"Ah…"

I decided to save Robin the trouble. "She was captured. We're just now going to rescue her."

Aqualad looked stricken. That didn't last long. "Let me help!"

"Sure," Beast Boy answered. "Just keep up."

* * *

Grapevine

I slowly opened my eyes. I was in almost complete darkness, I couldn't move, and soft hisses filled the air around me. It didn't take long before it occurred to me what those hisses could be.

_If Cobraloid was Pythaloid's mate, then there's nothing that says they couldn't have had kids. Great._

"Aren't family uprisings wonderful?" an unfamiliar male voice said from behind me. Light came on over my head.

And I immediately wanted it back off; I was underground, strapped to a wall by metal pieces, and the floor was nearly covered with large snakes – none of them very big, compared even to Cobraloid, but the smallest had to be about five feet long. Some had wings, some had strange fins, and still others had digging claws. All of them looked dangerous.

"Uh…no. But then again, I don't have a family. Haven't had one since your pet destroyed my village."

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

_No you aren't._

"But I'm afraid I just can't let you continue with your actions. I intend to let my 'pets,' as you call them, control as much of the world as they can. And with the way they breed, that could be all of it." Then he just laughed.

"Your brain's been underground too long," I retorted, "if you think the Teen Titans will just let you get away with kidnapping me."

"Even if they do come after me, it won't do them any good. These children have all the poison their mother did. It's not deadly to humans yet, alas, but one bite will certainly leave a Titan out of action for some time. And anyway, the children need the practice in fighting."

One lifted off the floor – oh, it was the same one who'd brought me here – and hissed in anticipation, baring its fangs.

_Oh, Titans, be careful._


	5. Lost?

Lost?

* * *

Aqualad

I was horrified. I finally decide what I'm going to do, and Grapevine gets captured!

Finally, we got to the island.

"I remember this place," I remarked. "It tends to dump its pollution into the ocean. I must have stopped them three times this past month."

"Doesn't know when to quit, huh?" Robin sounded sympathetic.

"Nope."

"Well, let us go rescue our friend!" Starfire flew into the nearest cave.

And…nearly got shot by about three lasers. They never hit her, she was too agile, and we made sure to smash them as we went through ourselves.

Once the lasers stopped shooting, though, the real trouble began.

* * *

Grapevine

The wall I was strapped to was metal, and my hands were encased with metal sheaths, so I couldn't grow any seed bombs. The floor was also metal, but the ceiling was only made from stone, and it wasn't even put together very well: I could see some flakes of dirt falling from a crack right above me.

_I wonder why he didn't bother fixing the ceiling, if he went to so much trouble to make a metal prison for me? Unless – oh no! He didn't!_

Soon I heard chaos outside the door.

"It sounds like your friends have arrived," the SerpentLord said smugly.

I glared at the skinny man. "You won't win, even with most of your scaly friends waiting for them here. They've all fought humanoid snakes before, and this room's bigger than the last place they'd fought such an enemy. These snakes will be unconscious in less than three minutes."

"Really?" He pulled out a stopwatch. "Would you like to make a bet on that? If you win, I let you go."

I rolled my eyes. "Sure, why not? It's not like I've got anything else to do."

Soon, the door broke in. And I got the shock of my life, so much so that I missed the pleasantries between sides. I mean, I knew that the Teen Titans would come after me, I was stolen from their tower, but Aqualad?

I heard the stopwatch beep next to me at about the time the first snake struck out.

* * *

Too much was happening at once for me to watch everyone, but after a lot of whipping around, the snakes were down and the Titans were standing.

The stopwatch beeped next to me again. "Two minutes, forty-five seconds. Your friends are better than I'd anticipated. They're really good, in fact," a really small serpentoid – about three feet long – slithered over to him and up next to his hand with something, "to force me to use this strategy." Then he yelled out, waving the detonater over his head, "I won't be taken alive!"  
"Get out of here!" I screamed, punching my focus into high gear, right as he pushed the button.

* * *

Robin

The whole room started rumbling, and cracks started appearing in the ceiling!

"Titans, move out!" I yelled.

"We have to save Grapevine!" Aqualad started to dash forward.

Raven grabbed him kinetically and pulled him from underneath a falling rock. "She told us to leave her behind, Aqualad."

We made it out of the cavern just in time, and then just stood there, staring at the dust.

"We didn't just…" Beast Boy hesitated, and then finished, "…lose a teammate, did we?"

"We did," Raven answered him, "and nothing any of us can say will change that."

Aqualad dashed out over the collapsed cavern and just stopped, right about where Grapevine would have been inside.

"I was going to ask her something," he said. He sounded…about like I would, if I'd lost Starfire. "I was going to ask her...if she'd be my girlfriend. And now..."

I walked over to him carefully – the ground still wasn't all that stable – and set my hand on his shoulder, looking down at the ground.

And some sort of plant pushed up in front of my right shoe and spread leaves.


	6. Revival

Revival

* * *

Aqualad

"Aqualad," Robin said from next to me.

I ignored him. Grapevine was gone, and I hadn't even gotten the chance to ask her if she'd be my girlfriend!

"Aqualad," he repeated.

I ignored him.

He was quiet again for a while. Then he shoved my shoulder, but the voice that spoke to me wasn't his – it was Grapevine's!

"Aqualad, you can be so oblivious sometimes!"

I stared at Robin. A vine had grown next to his foot and crept up along his side, and its very top was against the side of Robin's head…and the eyes looking out of Robin's mask were green! I asked hesitantly, "Grapevine?"

He – she! – nodded, with an almost smug expression. "Robin said I could talk through him this one time."

"Grapevine!" Starfire cried, floating off the ground. "You are unharmed!"

"Well…" Grapevine glanced at the vine. "Not exactly. See, I figured the ceiling was rigged to come down, but I couldn't blast myself free. So I did the only thing I figured would work: I focused on growing a vine of my namesake," she tapped the vine gently, "directly from my body, which was rendered useless after the ceiling fell on it, and putting my soul within it."

"Whoa," Raven said. She sounded impressed. Not like I wasn't, I just wished she hadn't had to do that.

"Robin has the instructions on what to do in order to help me grow a new human body, so just trust he knows what he's doing. Later!" She waved at us.

One blink, and Robin's eyes were back to normal. Almost right after that happened, the vine made a whole cluster of grapes and just…wilted.

"That was weird," Robin said, brushing the vine off and grabbing the bunch from it.

I bent towards the vine, but Robin stopped me. "She's not in the vine anymore. Remember what she said, okay?"

_Trust Robin knows what he's doing._ I nodded. "Okay."

* * *

Robin

Back at the tower, I went through Grapevine's room and found a pot that wasn't broken, filled it with as much of her potting soil as I could scrape up, and planted the whole bunch of grapes, feeling a little silly. I mean, I'm saving a teammate by doing some gardening! Still, since I'd seen her grow almost all the plants in this room faster than plants normally would, I figured I wouldn't feel silly once she started the real work. I drenched the pot with water, stepped back, and waited.

Fifteen seconds passed before anything started happening, but once it did, it happened fast:

A small tendril unfolded from the soil, unfolded leaves, and…

Started reaching for the sky.

It only took one minute for the seeds to become an almost-full-grown tree!

I remembered what she'd said to me about this: _"You might be planting grapes, but a grape can't pull even close to the size I need to make my new body, so what will grow will be a little more like a fruit tree: something with fruits that contain pits, that's the sort of size I need, and it still won't be my original size right off. Also, no matter how much care the tree gets initially, I can only work so fast; don't expect the fruit to come that day."_

I got proof of that – once the tree was almost as tall as I am, its branches drooped almost like it was sighing. I'd seen her do that, actually: stretch as far as she can, and then settle back into her normal position with an "Ow."

I set my hand against one of the branches. "I can't wait to see you again, Grapevine."

One leaf, one that almost looked like a hand, twirled up on that branch and set itself against the back of my hand.

Then I went to find clean gloves.

* * *

NEXT DAY

Raven

I don't remember why I'd gone to Grapevine's room. Maybe I was putting back her darkflower, or maybe I was actually getting her room straightened up again. But anyway, I was there when a flower opened on the tree that Robin had left in the middle of the room.

Remembering how she generally spoke to people when she wasn't right there, I held my hand over the flower. "_**Grapevine?**_"

"_Raven._" She sounded a little weaker than the last time I'd heard her like this.

"_**Is there something I need to know about?**_"

"_Yes…could you give me some water? I'm ready to finish the stationary part of this task._"

Well, that was a reasonable request. I dragged her watering can over and dumped all that was left in the can into the pot, ducking branches that tried to lift further and give me room. Then I stepped back and watched.

The flower lost its petals, and then started swelling into a peach. Really slowly, though; she must have been worried about bursting the thing.

It hit a bright orange in shade, a black "T" appeared on one side, and then…it fell from its stem.

I leaped to catch it, it hit my hands…and exploded.

Okay, it wasn't that bad. But what else am I going to call it when a fruit hits my hands, collapses out of its original shape and throws juice all over me?

"Real smooth, Grapevine."

The pit left in my hands – not like a normal peach pit; it was transparent, for one thing – split in half and got tossed open.

Out stepped a small girl: barely two inches tall, no uniform and completely covered in juice. She looked up at me and waved.

"Okay," I said to her as I left her room, "you need a shower."

* * *

I washed my hands while she was rinsing herself. Her hair was definitely Grapevine-red.

"Aren't you going to get any bigger?"

She looked up at me with this look on her face that I couldn't read. It wasn't that it was a particularly hard expression – it was that it was too small.

I helped her onto my shoulder and she spoke directly into my ear.

"Yes, I'm going to get bigger. It's just that doing so takes energy that I, at the moment, don't have. But in the meantime, let's make sure the other Titans see me and know I'm back."

"Uh, let's get you a uniform first, Thumbelina."

She made an outfit like what she wore in the jungle out of one of her peach tree's leaves, and we went to find the titans.

We found them.

* * *

Beast Boy

"Wow, Rae," I stared at Grapevine, "she's really…small."

Rob held his hand out to Raven's shoulder, and Grapevine walked onto his hand. "Grapevine actually told me this was likely to happen. The way she was going to make a new body could only get it so big before she couldn't do it from a tree."

"Which is what she meant when she said 'stationary part,'" Raven finished.

"Right. …When did she say that?"

"This morning. To me."

"Oh."

She waved at me to come over. So, I held my hand out to Robin and she hopped onto it. "What is it, Tiny Viney?"

She ran up onto my shoulder and said into my ear, "Is breakfast still available? I'd really like to have a waffle."

I just laughed. "Dude, your sense of humor's still the same!"

"Yeah, and by the way? If I were big enough for it to do any good, I'd hit you. 'Viney' is fine, 'Tiny Viney' isn't. Okay?"


	7. Barbie Girl

Barbie Girl

* * *

Grapevine

I spent almost a whole week two inches tall, collecting the energy I needed to do a growth spurt. I already knew I couldn't get from two inches high to five-foot-something in one shot without some serious problems, and I already knew where I was going to stop this time: Barbie-doll size. That way, I wouldn't have to make any new clothes from leaves, because Barbie dolls have all these accessories and clothes ready-made!

As soon as I told Cyborg that that was what I was going to do, and that it would be nice to not have to rely on the Titans to move places quickly, he started working on a Barbie-sized T-Car! Isn't he sweet sometimes? He made sure it was in my room as soon as he was done.

At the end of that week, Starfire had gone shopping with me, and I'd directed her to this set I'd been interested in: a Barbie doll bedroom set. She got that, and a few more clothes – I wasn't sure if it came with clothes – and then spent the rest of the day figuring out how to set up the bed and table. Fortunately, the wardrobe and lamp were pretty self-explanatory, the stool and changing screen were all in one piece already, and the dresser was also self-explanatory: all that needed to be done was slide on the heart-shaped mirror and put the reflective sticker on.

Finally, she got the pieces together and set them up for me where I wanted her to. I'd had to imagine myself Barbie-height to get them positioned properly, but I managed. She even hung up my clothes on their little hangers in the wardrobe and put away the other pieces in the drawers for me!

"Thank you, Starfire. I could never have gotten all this set up myself."

"You are welcome. Now I will go find Robin."

I idly wondered, as she left, what she and Robin were going to do. Oh well; not my business. I sat down meditation-style for a second. Then I got onto the bed and lay down. _Easier this way to measure proper height and porportions._

I focused. Focused on my current height…on the height I wanted to be…on _becoming_ that new height…

It was like puberty growth spurts, only much more intense and all of me hurt as opposed to just my legs. I felt my leaf dress rip off as I went from 6,000-petite to Barbie-average, and the same for my tiny shoes. Finally, it stopped.

I considered getting up and getting into some pajamas before blacking out.

* * *

NEXT DAY

When I woke up, at first I was a little disoriented. Since when did I sleep in a pink canopy bed with tulle curtains?

Then I remembered: I was the size of a Barbie doll.

And I wasn't wearing anything. Better fix that.

I got up, wobbled a little, and managed to get to the pink wardrobe before I accidentally hurt myself. Poking through the drawers, I chose some pants that looked a little like jeans and a yellow shirt. I found the pajamas, threw them onto the bed so I could find them tonight, and picked red shoes from the wardrobe.

Going over to the dresser, I looked in the mirror. _I haven't been able to brush my hair in a week, I might as well start now._ I almost decided against it when I looked at the Barbie brush, though. It was sized so a human could use it on a Barbie. It had to be – a Barbie's hands could never hold that size handle. Still…

Well, I managed. Then I went to check out the Mini-T.

I hadn't really explored the thing while I was tiny, so I studied it now. It looked like he'd managed to give it pedals, a push-button starter, a parking brake and a horn, and even headlights, windshield wipers and sound systems!

"Cy…how much of this stuff do you think I'll need?" Still…it was a nice thought. I flopped into the driver's seat, fastened the seatbelt – Cyborg, you're brilliant – and started it up.

Then I was out of there.

* * *

Robin

We'd just finished making breakfast when suddenly we heard a high-pitched horn. Cyborg grinned. "That would be the Mini-T. Grapevine's up."

"She has grown enough to use it?" Starfire asked.

In it drove, and it went twice around the table before spinning over next to a chair and parking under it. Then she stepped out.

It was like watching a movie with animated toys.

"Yes," Raven answered Starfire.

"Hi!" Grapevine yelled while shimmying up the leg of the chair. "What's breakfast?"

"Pancakes," Cyborg answered her, dropping a plate with one on it in front of her. "You going to finish that?"

"Ha ha, very funny."

"So…" Beast Boy asked, leaning over to her, "How long are you going to be like that?"

She thought about it while eating a dime-size piece. "Probably…a…month? Maybe longer than that? It takes time to get enough energy to growth-spurt, and besides, being a Barbie's fun!"

"By the way," I dug into my own pile of pancakes, "Aqualad's coming over. He wanted to see how you were doing."

She'd just pulled another dime-size piece from her pancake, but at my words, she just sat down holding it. "Really?" She didn't sound too…excited.

"Viney, the last he's seen of you has been a grapevine clinging to my head. He's been worried about you, and he had something he wanted to ask you."

"Can't his question wait until I can look him in the eye without being held in somebody's hand? I know what his question's going to be about."

I cocked an eyebrow at her. Somehow, I figured her guess was wrong. I knew what Aqualad was going to ask her, because he said before she'd gotten the vine above ground, but for that very reason I doubted she'd actually heard what he'd said. "If you want him to wait, but does that mean he has to wait to see you?"

She sighed. "No. He can see me if he really wants to." Then she perked up a little. "If he's still feeling guilty about my getting buried alive, he can help me fix up my room! There's a lot in there I can't set back upright, and you've all been busy."

* * *

Aqualad

I got there not entirely sure what to expect. Then I saw her.

I had to look down to see her; she was only about a foot tall and leaning against a small version of Cyborg's T-Car.

"Hey, Aqualad."

"Um…hey."

"Want to help me straighten my room? It's still kind of a mess I'm not big enough to clean, and besides, Robin left my tree in the middle of it."

Well, it was a start for my apology. "Okay."

She got into the car and it started rolling. Not too fast; I could follow it at a walk.

We spent a whole hour straightening up. Well, I did,anyway; mostly, what she was doing was watching and directing.

When I finished, I looked over at her. She was sitting on a stool in the midst of a bunch of toy furniture. It clashed with her hair. "Your 'room'?"

She nodded.

"Starfire bought it?"

She nodded again.

"Did she know it clashes?"

"You mean with my hair? It was the only color available."

"Oh. …Listen…I'm sorry for just leaving you there."

"Hey, I'd told you to leave me behind. Forget about it."

"Um…there was something I wanted to ask you…"

She lifted a hand and I stopped talking. "I think I know what you're going to say, and I'd like to ask you: could it wait until I'm a bit taller? I'd rather be able to look you in the eye while standing on the floor when you ask." She hesitated, and added, "While you're standing straight."

Well, I needed time to think about how I was going to ask. "Okay." I gently shook her hand.

* * *

**A/N: That Barbie bedroom-set? I used to have one like it, hence the reason I included it. The Mini-T was all my own idea.**


	8. Life in Blossom

Life in Blossom

* * *

Grapevine

It was a month and a half before I attempted to growth-spurt again, and I got to about three feet high before blacking out. By then, I'd figured out why I kept blacking out: when I'd gone from tiny to Barbie, I'd gone six times the first height. This time, it was triple the original height. Hopefully, my next attempt wouldn't make me black out.

I'd ended up helping the Titans out in four different fights while that size.

* * *

Finally, I'd gained enough energy to growth-spurt to my final height. I stood outside the tower, staring out at the ocean. I was wearing one of my old uniforms, and it didn't fit properly right now.

The key words in that sentence being, "right now." I closed my eyes and focused on my growth spurt; on filling my uniform to its correct fit.

I heard a splashing nearby right as I felt dizzy and started tipping.

Then I felt wet arms catch me. I opened my eyes and looked up at Aqualad.

"Oh. Hey. I didn't black out that time."

He smiled slowly, as if he wasn't sure that was a joke.

"So…you had something to ask me?"

He set me back upright, which put me eye level with him. "Well…I was wondering…if you'd be my girlfriend."

I stared at him. That hadn't been the script I'd expected. Then a grin spread over my face. "Aqualad…what took you so long to ask?"

I'm not sure who started that kiss, but it was definitely a longer one than the first one.

When it ended, he asked me, "You want to go for a swim?"

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "I can't. I can breathe underwater, but I never learned how to swim."

"Well, let's just fix that." He stepped closer to the water and held his hand out to me.

With a grin, I took his hand and let him lead me into the ocean.


End file.
